We can't be Paralysed
by Maxi Fallon
Summary: Why? Why did this happen? What is going to come after this? Why did it happen to him? These questions were the only thoughts going through my head as I watched the man I loved lay in a hospital bed. He was broken in more ways than one and I wasn't entirely sure how to help him. Set in Brotherhood. Spoiler Warning. Riza/? what's the pairing? Well you'll have to read and find out.


'_Why? Why did this happen? What is going to come after this? Why did it happen to him?' _these questions were the only thoughts going through my head as I watched the man I loved lay in a hospital bed. He was broken in more ways than one and I wasn't entirely sure how to help him. But I'm getting ahead of myself; we need to take this back a bit. Let's go back to when everything started to go wrong.

Barry the chopper ran into lab 3 after his human body and Roy Mustang, Jean Havoc, Alphones Elric and I had followed. When we had come to a fork in the path the colonel and Havoc had gone one way while Alphones and I went the other. As Alphones and I ran through the hallway we both heard an explosion. I fought my instinct to run and check on them and continued down the hall.

We came to a large white room to see Barry there and his human body decayed. The clicking of healed footsteps on the floor caught my attention. A beautiful woman entered the room.

"Haha I was wondering when you were going to show up Lusty." Barry said.

"Number 66, care to explain why you're helping the colonel?" the woman, Lust, questioned.

"I thought it would be fun to switch things up. Besides, I've wanted to chop you up since I met you."

"You're such a handful 66. And I'm sad to see you here armour boy, you just had to tag along. Talk about a setback. It's bad enough to lose one, but now you're forcing me to kill a second candidate."

"Candidate? A second one?" Alphones asked.

"Yeah, you and Mr Gallantry."

"That's enough of the casual chit-chat Lust! All I want to hear from you is screaming!" Barry charged at Lust but she shredded his armoured body with her razor sharp blade fingers without a second thought.

"I do hate over confident men." She turned back to Alphones and I. "Now then where were we? I think I was about to send the Lieutenant to join her superior."

My eyes widened as I thought back to that explosion. That must have been her fighting the colonel and Havoc. Wait…

"Wait a minute, so when you said you'd already had to kill someone. It can't be. You didn't!"

Rage filled me when a smirk crossed her lips, confirming my fears. If she had killed one then the other defiantly wouldn't have been far behind. It didn't matter which one had been her original target, neither would just let the other die without a fight. She would have had to kill them both. Which meant-

"YOU BITCH!"

I pulled the trigger and shot her in the head. I pulled it again and hit her shoulder. I continued to fire blindly in my fit of rage, hitting her in the head, chest, neck, anywhere as long as it hit her. When I ran out of bullets I threw my gun to the side and grabbed another from one of my shoulder holsters and continued firing. When that one ran out I drew my third and final gun. By the time I ran out of bullets in that gun tears had welled up in my eyes but I didn't pay them any attention. I kept pulling the trigger even though I knew I was out. It's not like it mattered, Lust just regenerated.

"Are you done?"

The anger began to drain from my and grief took its place as the reality of the situation hit me. Roy and Jean were dead. Two of my best friends were not coming back. The man I loved was gone. My arms dropped to my side and my gun fell from my hand. My tear took over as I sank to my knees, bent over in anguish. Sobs ripped thought me as I cried.

"Such a sad, weak, little creature. Another typical human."

A shadow fell over me as Alphones spoke. "Stand up Lieutenant. You need to get out of here."

"Do you want me to kill you first?"

There was a clap and the blue crackling light of alchemy but I didn't lift my head.

"Oh my, it appears you've opened a portal."

The sound of metal being sliced and it clattering to the floor. Still I didn't raise my head.

"It's a shame, you are a perfect candidate."

More sounds of metal be sliced and broken. Alphones was protecting me.

"Listen Alphones, leave me here and save yourself."

"No."

"Run."

"I won't!"

"GO! I have nothing left now that he's gone! Don't risk your life for me!"

"I won't leave you. I'm sick of watching people die and I can't just sit back and take it anymore! I won't let anyone else get killed, not when I can protect them!"

"Well spoken. I couldn't agree more." I knew that voice, I'd recognise it anywhere.

I gasped and looked up in time to see Roy before Alphones alchemised a wall. The colonel unleashed he's famous fire alchemy on Lust. I didn't see Jean anywhere.

"Looks like I can get you on your knees after all." I heard him say to Lust.

"You should have bled to death by now."

"I seared the wound closed. I came close to passing out from the pain."

He sent another round of flames at Lust.

"You told me I couldn't kill you, but I'd like to try and prove you wrong!"

Another flame.

"So let's see, how many times is it going to take?"

Another flame. By this point the room was filled with the smell of smoke and burn flesh. All I could hear was Lust's screams of agony as she regenerated only to be burned alive again.

"COLONEL NO!" I called out.

The flames and screams continued until Lust let out a final screech.

"You killed me. I hate losing but there are worse whys to die than at the hands of a man like you. I love how cold and focused your eyes are. I look forward to the day those eyes will be wide with agony. It's coming, it's coming."

I peeked around the corner of the wall and saw Roy fall to the ground.

"Colonel!"

Alphones and I ran to his side. He was weak from using so much energy on his alchemy.

"Thank you Alphones for looking after my subordinate."

"Never mind that right now we have to get you to a doctor." Alphones said.

"Oh yeah, call a doctor for Havoc."

"What happened Colonel? Where is he?" I couldn't keep the concern and panic from entering my voice.

"He's still unconscious where Lust attracted us. I closed his wounds as well but he may still need a doctor."

I barely heard the last part as I stood and began making my way back out of the white room.

"Watch him for me Alphones."

"Sure."

With that said I started running. I ran down the hall at a speed that had to be a new personal record. My need to see for myself that Jean was alive pushed me forward. When I found him I began to cry again. He was lying face down on the floor, blood stained his black shirt and two horrible burn marks displayed where he had been literally stabbed in the back and the colonel and closed the wounds.

I ran forward and collapsed at his side. I wrapped my arms around him gently and carefully turned him over.

"Jean?"

I couldn't help but call his name even though I knew he couldn't hear me. I gently moved him so he was half lying on my lap, my arms moved around his shoulders and I held him as tightly as I could in his condition. I held him, oblivious to everything else around me, until help arrived. I didn't even notice when Alphones have all but carried Roy into the room, all my focus was on the man in my arms. I held onto him until the very last second when he was carried out on a stretcher. They carried him out of the lab and into one of the waiting ambulances, helping Roy into the other. I hopped into the ambulance with Jean and Alphones went with Roy.

Once we arrived at the hospital Jean was rushed off and I was directed to the waiting room. It was there in that waiting room that I finally allowed myself to fully brake down. Tears of sadness, anger and relief streamed down my cheeks, creating dark wet spot on my uniform pants. I don't know how long I waited there crying. It could have been minute, it could have been hours, all I knew was both Jean and Roy were hurt and there was nothing I could do to help.


End file.
